43% of Ukrainians see democracy decline, 19% improve, 29% say 'no change,' survey shows
Around 43% of Ukrainians think that the state of democracy worsened during the five-year tenure of President Volodymyr Zelensky, with 11% linking it to circumstances of wartime and 28% blaming the authorities, according to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) published on June 4.
Some 3% of those who think the situation deteriorated blamed both the war and the authorities. About 19% of respondents think that the state of democracy has improved over the past five years, while 29% see no change.
The results of the survey stand in contrast to observations by Freedom House, which said that Ukraine is one of the few countries in the region making successful strides toward democracy.
"Taking into account Ukraine's historical experience and how the five-year terms of previous presidents ended, the current perception is relatively good and leaves space for the president... to maintain a fairly high level of support and optimism in the future," said Anton Hrushetskyi, the executive director of KIIS.
More than 90% of Ukrainians want to see their country as a fully functioning democracy, the KIIS said.
Almost half of the respondents (49%) also believe that the economic situation has deteriorated, with around 16.5% naming the war and 23% erroneous government policies as the main culprit.
Around 17% believe that the economic situation has improved, while 21% think it remained the same.
Talking on the subject of an ideal form of government, 16% of Ukrainians would prefer the parliamentary government, while 13% voiced support for the presidential form.
The majority—58%—prefer a combined form of government, with 31% naming a somewhat more influential parliament and 27% a more dominant president as the ideal form.
Ukraine is a semi-presidential republic, with the president holding executive power together with the cabinet of ministers.
The survey was conducted between May 16 and 22 and included 1,002 respondents living in all regions of Ukraine except for occupied territories.
Elsa Court
